Josh Ritter - "The Animal Years"

When my sister was finishing up at Oberlin, in early 2000, we were chatting on the phone one day and she admitted something to me. There was a guy at Oberlin who sang and played the guitar, and she actually liked his music. Emily and I share the same apprehension when it comes to singer songwriters, and I think it's safe to say that she has even less tolerance than I do. (I admitted in an earlier post that I've never been a huge fan of female singer songwriters, but in truth, I don't have much stomach for male singer songwriters either.) So, for Em to be psyched about this guy, he had to be pretty cool.

Indeed, Josh Ritter is downright exceptional. By the time I got around to acquiring any of his albums, I was able to get both his self-titled debut (which I'm pretty sure he put out while still a student at Oberlin) and his follow up "Golden Age of Radio" that came out in 2002. I loved them both. I listened to them pretty consistently for a long time. And happily I found that, though definitely influenced by folk traditions, Josh Ritter is definitely not just a folk singer, and definitely not a guy with a guitar feeling sorry for himself. He's a really talented, fun, creative musician. His compositions go way beyond vocals and guitar to achieve big, full sounds. In fact, when I checked his website tonight, I found that he's about to do two (sold out) shows in Dublin with a 24 piece orchestra.

Over the last bunch of years, Josh Ritter has definitely garnered a lot of media attention. I've heard him interviewed multiple times on NPR. I'm sure producers and hosts love him, 'cause he's a smart, witty, affable guy who comes across super humble. When he started getting a lot of press, people were throwing labels at him like "the next Bob Dylan." That's pretty serious. I don't know why people do that, but it's definitely indicative of how impressed the critics have been, so that's got to be nice. From a very outside perspective, it seems that he's been able to stay grounded and just keep evolving as a musician.

Josh Ritter has released three albums since I picked up those first two. I dutifully bought "Hello Starling" in 2003, and "The Animal Years" in 2006. However, I had gotten to the point where I felt like I loved the first two albums so much that if I needed a Josh Ritter fix, I'd just put one of those on. I never developed much of a relationship with the next two, and I have yet to purchase "The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter," which was released this year. So I was a little worried when I pulled "The Animal Years" out of the drawer today and faced the prospect of writing about it. When I put it on, it was good to be reminded that I do really like his music, even the albums I don't know that well.

"The Animal Years" offers a nice array of songs. One of the things I really appreciate about Josh Ritter is that he can pull off super upbeat anthems, and really quiet meditations. You definitely get the gamut on this album. I'd say that overall, this cd is on the more serious side of his work, but if I can get into it, it can't be too much of a downer. I love the way he weaves in Biblical and scientific references. I'm sure that if I really took the time to pay attention to these lyrics, I'd realize that there are some good thoughts being offered. I've heard that this is his most overtly political album.

Poking around on his website today, I loved what I read. In one interview, Josh Ritter explained that after "The Animal Years" came out, he felt like "there was a premium being placed on earnestness that can be pretty stifling." Oh, I love that! So he decided to try an entirely new way of composing his next album - he put down the guitar and plucked things out on the upright piano, an instrument he doesn't even really play. He chose muses that made him happy, like Calamity Jane. That makes me want to listen to "The Historical Conquests" for sure. I mean, I've heard the single on the radio, and liked that (he's versatile enough to get a single on the radio!) but now I want to hear the whole thing.

I have a feeling that when push comes to shove, "The Animal Years" won't end up being my favorite Josh Ritter album of all time. But it's a really solid album, and it's nice to know that I do actually like it, and am happy to have it in my collection. If you want to add it to yours, definitely let me know and it'll be on its way to you. Either way, keep an eye on Josh Ritter. I think he'll be around for a long time, and I trust that he'll always be putting out quality work.

Common Market - eponymous

If I had any doubt that my hip hop taste is not mainstream, it was erased this fall. In October, I spent a week in Columbus, O-hi-o working on the Obama campaign. A big part of my job involved driving a 15 passenger van back and forth from the Ohio State campus to the early voting station, full of college students. The radio and cds we listened to were all hip hop and r&b. Literally every time something came on that I thought was cool, it would immediately get boo'd and ejected by the kids in the van.

I imagine that Common Market would have met the same fate. There must be books and dissertations out there analyzying the journey of "conscious hip hop" over the last couple of decades. What is the story??? I mean, I know the basics of the story, but it still upsets me. I need to go read some of those books and get more of the nuances so I can talk more eloquently about the race and economic factors that have gotten us to this point. Thank god that folks like Common Market are still at it anyway.

I picked up this album randomly in 2006 when I was in Seattle for my sister's wedding. I definitely listened to it a bunch right then, but it's been a while. Giving it another listen on this grey, rainy morning has seriously lifted my spirits. Common Market reminds me of everything I love about hip hop. The samples are creative, generous and melodic, the lyrics serious and probing, and the beats get your head bobbin right away. It's been a long time since I've heard hip hop that is on par with standards set back in the early 90s by the zulu nation. Amazing that two guys from Seattle, brought together by their Baha'i faith, are carrying the torch.

One of many things that I love about this album is that it's an ALBUM. It flows, and works from beginning to end. Starts with a track, "Re-fresh," that gets you psyched right away - though it kind of cracks me up that it opens with the sounds of the NYC subway. Maybe a nod to the new york roots of their tradition by these northwest guys. Wraps up with a remix of the single "Every Last One" that I'm in love with, largely because there's some kind of go-go track running through it. A nod to D.C. that reminds me of trying to sneak into Chuck Brown shows when I was in high school. Nice.

Common Market has just achieved unique status in my music life - this is the first cd I've listened to for this project that has made me want to buy another cd. I know that's not really the point (it's kind of like the yard sale we had years ago in Somerville at the same time as our neighbors across the street, and ended up just swapping all our stuff). Luckily, I can download Common Market's new album, "Tobacco Road," and bypass the cd format. Too bad for you.

I'm not only burning this one into my collection, I have a feeling I'm going to be listening to it a lot. Until I buy their new album. By the way, I can't seem to find this eponymous cd listed anywhere on their website, so it may be out of print. Just another plug for someone to speak up and get this one in your mailbox sometime soon.

The Sea and Cake - "Everybody"

I love The Sea and Cake. They're definitely one of my all time favorites, but in a very particular way. I never get super excited about them, can't remember the names of any of their songs, and can't sing along to them (though I can whistle along). And still I love them. My friend Meryl once said that when she doesn't know what else to put on, she always turns to The Sea and Cake. Exactly. They're almost always a really nice soundtrack to my life. They never offend my ears. I don't know what their lyrics mean, they seem almost like random phrases strung together, and whenever I choose to pay attention the phrase of that moment resonates just fine. I don't even know how to describe what genre their music would fall under - pop? indie rock? electronica? ambient? It's a mish mash, but it all works together.

Lucky for me, they're very prolific. All of these guys have other projects going on, yet over the last fifteen years, they've put out eight albums as The Sea and Cake. The album that really got me, when I started paying more attention, is "The Fawn," which came out in 1996. It's definitely on my top ten list. Once I was hooked on that, I made sure I had their previous albums, and have bought each one they've put out since. "Everybody" came out in 2007. I like it as much as I like any of their other albums. I don't often reach for it first, in part because I'm not a huge fan of the first track, so that kind of throws me off. It's more heavily rock influenced than a lot of their work tends to be, as is the third track. But when I let it play beyond those first few songs, I remember that I really like most of the album. There are a couple of singles that stand out - "Coconut" got a lot of airplay on WERS here in Boston, and "Exact to Me" also gets in your head. In a good way. Really, the whole album is good. Which pieces you'll love the most just depend on your personal preferences - and this band gives you a ton of options.

So, in a nutshell, if you don't own any Sea and Cake, you should. They're really impressive musicians, and their music is unlike any other group. At least that I know of. If you don't have "Everybody," I'd be happy to pass it on to you.

Liz Phair - "whitechocolatespaceegg"

People tend to have strong feelings about Liz Phair. When I worked at WOBC in college, we hated her. All of us. We had a picture of her in the station office, and we would throw things at it. Not sure that we had actual darts, but whatever we could find we would throw. I was never totally sure why we hated her, other than that she was interviewed in Rolling Stone and said that Oberlin was totally lame. (I love that all those radical kids were so offended by someone dissing their school.) I was so good at going along with things like that that I honestly never listened to her until I graduated.

It was amazing to finally put on "Exile in Guyville" and realize that it was pretty damn great. I've never been very attracted to female singer songwriters in general. That's sometimes made me feel like a traitor to my gender, but I've just never had much patience, or been moved by, a lot of the sappy, breathy stuff that has gotten produced in that genre over the past couple of decades. I'm sure there are all kinds of sexism involved in what actually ends up getting produced and recorded by women, and the end result is that a lot of it just doesn't appeal to me. That's one of the reasons I was so psyched when I finally listened to Liz Phair, cause there's none of that going on - the sappy, breathy stuff, that is.

When I sat down to write this review of "whitechocolatespaceegg," I kept thinking, "I just like this." I've been thinking about why that is, and realizing that Liz Phair on her first three (widely distributed) albums represents some core aspects of my demographic almost perfectly. She nails the confidence, frustration, confusion, and bravado of white, overly liberally educated single women in the 90s. I love this trio of albums in descending order. "Exile" is amazing, "Whipsmart" is great, and "whitechocolatespaceegg" is real good. Nothing I've heard from or about her since then has made me want to re-engage, and that's okay with me. She captured that 90s era vibe, and somehow she hasn't translated into the 21st century. I'm sure there are all kinds of reasons for that, both personal and political.

The drama of Liz Phair's career has been written about a lot, if you're interested. You can even start with wikipedia. I know I should probably be more focused on all of that, but what's more important to me is that when I played "whitechocolatespaceegg" today, I realized that I still know all the words, even though I haven't listened to it in years. (Sara, I just remembered that the memorization of all these lyrics on "whitechocolatespaceegg" started that really hot summer night when you and I got stuck on the crossbronx for hours and hours!) It's been fun to get these songs stuck in my head again today, and to reconnect with my circa 1998 self. And yes, to struggle a little bit again with what her career has meant in my life and in pop music. I'm happily burning the whole album into my collection. If you want to sing along too, just let me know, I'll mail it off to ya.

Lisa Stansfield - "Biography"

Wooooow. I don't even know what to say about this collection of "greatest hits." Lisa Stansfield has a strong voice, though there's nothing interesting about it other than she's got a pretty decent range. She recorded a lot of songs in the late 80s/early 90s in basically the new soul/smooth jazz vein. Most of the tracks have really prominent bass lines, much like other British soul acts from this era - M People, that sort of group. Honestly, what I picture when I listen to this album is someone getting ready to go out for the night, drinking a glass of red wine, dancing in front of the mirror on a white shag carpet, and singing along to these tracks really loudly. If you need some of that in your life, I can't tell you how happy I would be to send you this cd. For the most part, I'm mortified that it is in my collection.

I will admit that I am burning one track, because it's the reason that I spent money on this album. Here's the story: when I was in high school, my entire family went on a tour of New England colleges together. My poor sister was in 6th grade, and got dragged along. The trip was basically a bust - I only ended up applying to one of the schools we saw. And the strongest memory that any of us seem to have of that week (other than my sister learning to ask tour guides if their schools guaranteed housing all four years) was spending hours upon hours in the car singing, "Been around the world and I I I, I can't find my baby....." Yes, Lisa Stansfield. We happened to take this college tour during the one week in history when she was at the top of the charts. God help us.

Arcade Fire - "Neon Bible"

Oh, the Canadian invasion. What is it that makes them all so damn cool and lovable? I'm too tired tonight to pretend to have an articulate answer, but it is an oddly particular vibe, at least among these early 21st century Canadian superbands. They're intense and earnest, and yet so hip. A few months ago I got dragged to the Middle East to see some bands I'd never heard, and (before falling asleep during the last band - I'm really good at that) I remember turning to my friend after the first band started and saying "They're definitely Canadian." What exactly did I mean? I dunno, but I was right.

I first heard Arcade Fire when my sister put "Rebellion (Lies)" from "Funeral" on a mix for me. I loved it instantly. And when I finally got my hands on the full album, I fell for it just as hard. So I was super excited when "Neon Bible" was released a couple of years later. Sarah and I bought it just before we left on vacation that summer, and were very happy with ourselves that we could accompany our road trip to Prince Edward Island with a new album from our favorite Canadians. But the copy we got didn't agree with our car's stereo for reasons we still don't really understand, so we never listened to it, settling instead for hours upon hours of listening to the Harry Potter books. (Which was actually really wonderful, that guy that reads them is amazing.)

So, today when I moved to the third drawer of my collection and pulled out "Neon Bible," I didn't know quite how to feel. I never really developed a relationship with this album. When we got back from PEI, I sort of forgot to listen to it. Well, today was the day! Really taking in this album is no joke. It makes so much sense to me that it was recorded at "the church" in Quebec. Half the time when I'm listening to these guys, and this album in particular, I picture that intense preacher kid in "There Will Be Blood." (The same actor who was so awesome in "Little Miss Sunshine.") Moving from "Funeral" to "Neon Bible," is like the pastor preaching a strong but still easy to swallow sermon one Sunday, and then coming back the next week to really let it rip, like "actually I wasn't joking about that."

Arcade Fire are full of drama. The kind of drama that back in the 80s was too much for me to deal with. I never got into a Smiths or Cure or Depeche Mode phase. But these folks go at it with a level of confidence and joy that makes it work for me. Plus they're just really damn good musicians, and know how to put an anthem together. In fact, for the first time today I recognized a serious dose of The Boss coming through - on "AntiChrist Television Blues" in particular - not a bad choice for anthemic inspiration. I could almost feel them channeling "Born to Run."

My biggest critique of "Neon Bible," and the reason that I'd pick "Funeral" over it any day, is that this album is full throttle from beginning to end, with much less breathing room or variation than I find in the flow of the tracks on "Funeral." In moments it's also a little more creepy than the vibe on "Funeral," which isn't really my thing. But hey, seems like the preacher wants to be serious this time. And the singles, "Keep the Car Running," "No Car Go," and "Intervention" are all super solid and catchy. Just maybe a bit more fun on their own.

I may not often listen to this entire album from beginning to end in the future, but I'm glad I finally did today. I've definitely burned it into my collection, and I'd be happy to pass it on to yours. Hopefully it'll work in your car.

Bela Fleck - "Drive"

Alright, now you know I'm being honest with this project. I'm certainly not posting this album to stroke my music collector ego. This was the first cd in the next drawer. The drawers are organized by genre, I figured I'd keep things interesting and not go through my entire soul/r&b/gospel drawer first. So, here we are, with Bela Fleck.

First of all, I need to apologize to my college roommate Kaho. Over the course of the two years that we shared a very tiny space, I made her listen to whatever album I was currently into while we fell asleep at night. Did I ever give her a chance to weigh in? Don't think so. Did it occur to me that she might really not enjoy listening to Bela Fleck? Nope. I know I definitely played this particular album many nights in a row. Sorry Ka.

Now, onto Bela Fleck. I will admit that I got way obsessed with him as a senior in high school when all of my friends started listening to the Flecktones. My high school boyfriend was part of a band, and they were all geeked out over the musicians in the Flecktones, especially the bassist, Victor Wooten. It was the nineties, the bass was king. When I got to Oberlin, I was thrilled to find that the Flecktones were coming in concert. They came often, and I was there every time. I even finagled an interview with Bela himself, but I was so nervous to talk to him (somehow the mullet didn't deter me from thinking he was cute!) that I forgot to hit "record" and sadly, my probing interview never made it onto the WOBC airwaves. But all of Bela's records made it into my collection.

Man, I feel like I just went to confession. Here's the saving grace: Bela Fleck is undoubtedly an incredible musician. Cheesy, sure. But extremely talented. His approach to the banjo is unlike anyone else's. This album, "Drive" was recorded in 1987, when he was part of the core of young musicians promoting the "new grass revival." So far as I can tell, all of these guys (were there any women among them?) were very well trained musicians, more than likely many of them were classically trained. They were super into bluegrass, and were working together to transform it with some late-1980s sensibilities.

So that brings us to "Drive." It's all instrumental, no vocalists. It was recorded before Bela gathered the Flecktones, but you can hear them coming. On a few tracks, namely "Slipstream," the "jazz" influence starts to come through. Other tracks, like "Up Around the Bend," "Down in the Swamp," and "The Open Road," are firmly rooted in traditional bluegrass. I even found myself wanting to stomp my feet to "The Open Road." I have to admit though, that the solid training of these guys means that even the more traditional tracks don't have the sawdust on the floor grit that bluegrass usually brings. It's all a little over-polished. Bela's pension for the shmaltzy side of life really comes through on a number of tracks that, though they don't have vocals, really sound like ballads. "The Lights of Home" is particularly syrupy, it's probably the one that soothed me to sleep back in college. Sorry again Kaho.

It really is hard to just toss this album to the side and declare it too cheesy for consideration. The line up of musicians is stellar: Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Mark O'Connor, Tony Rice. If you listen to any of this "newgrass," or even bluegrass, stuff you'll know those names. And depending on what your angle (if any) is on this type of music, there's probably something in there for you. At the very least, it might be nice for you to put on before you go to bed.

My verdict: Not one to put on the must have list. But personally, before it moves out of my life, I'm going to burn a few tracks just for nostalgia. Maybe I'll play them for my kids someday. I probably won't ask if they want to hear them. People don't really change, do we?

Aretha Franklin - "Amazing Grace"

I can't think of a better album to start this project off with than this masterpiece. I picked it randomly, I swear - it was the first cd in the top left drawer of my collection. But I think there was a higher power involved in that. Listening to this album reminds me of all that I love about music. I grew up dancing around the house to Motown on Saturday mornings, and singing in the church choir on Sunday mornings. "Amazing Grace" is Aretha, after already establishing herself as a pop music star, returning to her roots to record an incredible gospel album. Two discs worth, in fact.

Admittedly, when my brother in law gave me this album for Christmas, I was a little daunted. I usually don't love live albums - I almost always like the original recordings better than the follow up live recordings. And though I have a lot of love for gospel music, I rarely think to turn it on. Well, there's no original/live issue going on here. "Amazing Grace" is full of well known and lesser known traditional hymns, recorded over two nights in Los Angeles 1972 with an all star choir, conductor, and musicians. The live character of the album is completely integral to the impact of the music. It's a recording of an experience. Of course, this is a church experience, and so might not immediately appeal to folks who aren't Christian. But the power of this music is so transcendent, it would be a shame to pass over it. These are not only Aretha's roots, they're the roots of most soul music. And the emotions, the pain and the joy that come through so clearly and beautifully, are core to all of us.

So, if this one isn't in your collection, put it on your list. Or email me and I'll mail you my copy. Cause I definitely just burned it into my collection.

My Lo-Fi Life

I'm in one of those transition times right now. On many levels. Vascilating between lo-fi and hi-fi. Some days I find myself putzing around the house doing who knows what, and other days I'm jumping in with both feet to engage in some new work in the world. My music life is a little microcosm of this existence.

As usual, I'm years behind the curve in terms of music technology. I'm always unjustifiably conservative about converting to a new way of listening. And it's never a pretty or graceful conversion when it finally happens. So, as these things go, I'm in total music purgatory right now. I've still got hundreds of cds, records and cassette tapes hanging around, but I've also got a big ole Mac on my desk with a tiny percentage of my music collection burned onto it. Guess what I listen to? Honestly, I mostly listen to NPR, pandora.com, and sometimes kexp.org. I rarely throw on any of the music from my collection. And I've been realizing lately that I'm in a music depression, and I gotta get out of it.

So, here's the project! The Lo-Fi Life project to get me out of my music depression. Basic idea: every day I'm going to listen to one of my cds (if I pull this off, I'll move into the records and tapes someday), write a little review of it on this blog, and burn it onto my computer if I still like it. And if anyone out there is actually reading this blog, feel free to email me if you want the cd I've just reviewed, and I'll mail it to you! I really will. Just cause that sounds fun to me. I like the post office.

The end goal of the Lo-Fi Life project is to have all of my collection in digital files, and to be listening to a LOT more music, at home and out and about. Oh, and to have distributed all of my non-digital collection to deserving homes where lovely lo-fi people will actually listen to it. Did I mention that I have an iPod that I rarely use? Yeah. It's time.